


L'homme vital

by tod_von_mii



Series: Raison d'être [1]
Category: Elisabeth - Levay/Kunze
Genre: F/M, Not-So Faustian Bargain, Sisi comes back to life to impress der Tod
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:21:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25041580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tod_von_mii/pseuds/tod_von_mii
Summary: Death gave Sisi a reason to live.
Relationships: Elisabeth von Österreich-Ungarn | Elisabeth of Bavaria/Der Tod | Death (Elisabeth)
Series: Raison d'être [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1813564
Kudos: 12





	L'homme vital

**Author's Note:**

> See if you can spot both Hamilton references!

One moment, Sisi was dancing on a rope, eager to distract herself from the proper and utterly suffocating future that nevertheless seemed like the best option, and then she was doubting she'd ever have such a future.

The third moment she only recognized in retrospect, because she had no memory of it, but by the next, she was in the arms of a dark figure who carried the vague aroma of black coffee mixed with blood.

The question came out of her mouth as soon as she remembered how to speak. "Who are you?"

A man's face peered down at her, with blond hair, dark green eyes, a strong jaw, and a surprised expression. "Der Tod. Death himself. I must say, I expected you to be too afraid to speak-"

"But I feel so safe and warm in your arms," Sisi sighed. "Like you're my black prince come to free me."

The praise made him chuckle. "I would gladly sweep you off your feet, but-"

"Mama wants me to marry, but my only wedding will be with Death," she interrupted with a pout. "I want nothing more than to ride on horseback and write poetry, with you by my side..." The last part seemed to use her mouth to manifest, not the reverse, and she tried to make herself smaller (which wasn't very easy for someone in her position).

If der Tod was bothered by her wishes, he didn't show it. "I am by everyone's side in the end. Beggars and princes, kings and vagabonds, cardinals and criminals. But if you need me like you say you do, I'll stay close."

She could've kissed him right then and there, but settled for nodding. "I don't care if you're Death himself. You breathe life into me, like a... a... _homme vital_." The French stumbled out of her mouth the way spontaneous phrases did when they were first spoken. "You accept me the way I am, but some people would try to change me. That's worse than dying! I'd k- I mean, run away from them all if I could!" Sisi turned away from him, then looked back at him.

One of der Tod's eyes quirked, and he carefully set her down on what appeared to be her bed. "You are certainly out of their reach here, but the dull, grey mechanisms that would grind you into dust live on." He rested a hand on her shoulder. "And while I applaud your candour - you don't have to censor yourself around me, I deal in truths - simple killing won't dislodge this tradition. Ideas are more resilient than people."

Sisi pouted again. "Is there anything you can do? Or anything I can do?"

Der Tod began slowly pacing around her bed. "Elisabeth, you have a choice to make. You could let me take you right now, dying young so you can skip to your afterlife and eternity with me. There is no shame in choosing that, and I would certainly enjoy it, but you are stronger than you know. I think you'd be better suited for the heroic option: I return you to life so you can be my champion, my... assassin of a thousand cuts." He spoke the phrase like he was caressing it. "See if you can help bring down the behemoth that would chain not only you, but countless others like you. At the end of your life, whether you succeed or fail, I will take you. We will be together regardless, but the in-between will be up to you."

She looked up at him adoringly. "Let me be a heroine."

His pearly-toothed grin reminded her of her tutors when she gave them a correct answer, but wider and more asymmetrical. "Then may you blossom in adversity, Elisabeth. But... nobody needs to know about me or our little rendezvous. Talk less, smile more."

* * *

That encounter taught her that she was and wasn't different from most people in her life.

What wasn't different about her was that she knew someone who made her heart flutter, who every love ballad reminded her of, and who she imagined the arms of when she wanted to feel particularly cozy.

What was different about her was that the someone she had in mind was Death himself. Her previous infatuation, with a common soldier, had been inappropriate enough for someone of her social standing, but she could talk about her longing for Count Richard with far less risk of being sent to a madhouse.

A rich and powerful eccentric was a safe eccentric, as evidenced by her father, and also one better suited to influencing things, which would help with the vow she made to her black prince. Unfortunately, because she was a woman, securing riches and power seemed to require marriage with someone in the physical world.

(If her mother had known about Sisi's encounter, she would've probably said that der Tod had ruined her for human men, but she had only rarely found living, breathing suitors to be appealing before then, so she supposed she simply had particular tastes.)

Maybe it was like prostitution, but trying to keep herself pure would make her weak and unsatisfied.

* * *

Franz Joseph falling for her was convenient enough. He seemed like a very nice man, unassuming for an emperor, pleasant enough to live with for the rest of her life. She didn't reciprocate his passion for her, but she could enjoy his company the way one enjoyed the company of a cat, and he could protect her from anyone who tried to straitjacket her.

At least, that was the plan. A plan wasn't much good, but it was the best she had.


End file.
